The SF 49er Observer: 49er Observer

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

I Love New Orleans

Drew Brees and Sean Payton

As I watched Drew Brees and Sean Payton celebrating the Saints victory over Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts, it brought back many memories of the early days -- the beginning of the Saints.

As a lifetime 49er fan, I was spending my days employed by the City of San Francisco at Log Cabin Ranch, a juvenile detention facility for felony offenders located on a former 634 acre ranch in the town of La Honda, made famous by the antics of Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters.

During the offseason, several Niners would put in time as counselors. One was Johnny Fuller, a tough defensive back and kick returner from Lamar, Texas. John and I became good friends and when he was traded to the Saints, he asked me to drive his wife's station wagon from California to New Orleans. In exchange, I had the opportunity to visit the team at their training camp south of New Orleans and to attend the first ever game played at the Superdome, an exhibition game against Bum Phillips, Earl Campbell and the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans).

It was the experience of a lifetime and the French Quarter will always have a special place in my heart. That, however, brings us to this century. There was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in August of 2005. It caused huge damage in Mississippi but very MODEST damage in New Orleans.

What catastrophically damaged New Orleans was flooding caused by the failure of the federal levee system - an engineering failure second in scope only to Chernobyl.

While people were drowning and stranded roofs for days, the federal government with the help of the US news media went overtime not helping, but covering its tracks.

The whole sordid story - and why every part of America should know the real story...because there are federal levees EVERYWHERE.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Fickle 49er Fans Flaunt Foolishness

#24 - Michael Robinson

It is well known that sports fans often favor the underdog and become impatient with the status quo, wishing to replace their players with others, often lesser known or even less talented. This is apparently the case with some 49er fans, especially the young ones. In browsing through various forums and blogs I came across an interesting situation that will impact the coming season.

We know that Mike Martz often ignored the running game in favor of his outdated 7-step drop philosophy. Much has been made about the fact that Mike Singletary favors a "power running" game. Many wrongly believe that this means the 49ers will be a run-first team and nothing could be further from the truth. The difference will be that Jimmy Raye will direct a power running game that goes between the tackles, rather than outside the tackles like the "finesse" running game advocated by Martz.

Frank Gore will again be the featured back and will have his personal bodyguard, Moran Norris, back at fullback leading him through the line. It is expected that Glenn Coffee will be his backup at the #2 RB position as long as he can overcome the fumbling tendencies that hampered his college career. That leaves Michael Robinson, rookie Kory Sheets from Purdue, and the long dormant Thomas Clayton as the other backs. Sheets is a speed burner who was plagued with fumbles throughout his college career. He also plays special teams as a kick returner and may well be headed for the practice squad.

The point of this article is the rather bizarre opinions of some fans that Thomas Clayton should remain and Michael Robinson should be cut. That, my friends, is insanity and demonstrates how little many fans know or understand about the game of professional football. I often ask these fans what it is about Thomas Clayton that excites them enough to cut one of our most valuable players. The answers are usually "he has led the league in preseason for two years". It is my firm belief that they are infatuated with his body. The man looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane. No mention of the fact that Clayton sat on the practice squad the last two seasons and any of the other NFL teams could have picked him up for a loaf of bread and none did.

Let's compare their records. Clayton runs a 4.63 40, the slowest of all the 49er RBs with the exception of Norris. During his four-year college career, he gained just over 1000 yards and scored only 7 TDs. His senior year at Kansas State, he gained only 330 yards as the 3rd string running back. In his first two seasons with the Niners he has yet to impress the coaches enough to even set foot on the field. It is one thing to be a classic underachiever, but quite another to never have achieved success at all.

Michael Robinson was horribly mismanaged by Mike Nolan for two years. Nolan didn't like to play rookies and Michael was no exception. Like his new Offensive Coordinator, Jimmy Raye, Michael Robinson, led his team to the Big 10 Championship. MRob as he is affectionately called, is a 6-1, 228 lb. powerhouse whom Penn State coach Joe Paterno referred to as "the greatest athlete I have coached in my 55 years at Penn State".

At Penn State, MRob was a standout on a losing team. He was used mostly as a wide receiver, but also played a little halfback and a short time at quarterback prior to his senior year. It was then that Paterno inserted Michael, who had never played the position full-time before, as his quarterback for his senior year. Robinson responded by leading his team to an 11-1 record, winning the Big 10 title and a victory in the Orange Bowl, and being named Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 17 TDs and ran for 8 more. Throughout his career in college, he ran for 1,637 yards, caught 52 passes for 629 yards, threw for 3,575 yards and accounted, either by passing, throwing or running for 46 touchdowns. He was also their best player on special teams.

In direct contrast to Clayton's college career, Robinson achieved and then some. So, upon being drafted by the 49ers and despite his plea to be given an opportunity to at least try out for quarterback, Michael was put on ice by Mike Nolan who expressed his unwillingness to allow most rookies to even play with the classic statement: "Young players play young".

So, Michael has been a standout on special teams and has made a few memorable plays, despite being overlooked and woefully mishandled. Since coming to the 49ers, Robinson has established himself as their premier special teams player. He has been the leading tackler and his blocking resulted in two kickoff returns for TDs, the first for Delanie Walker in a preseason game, the second,a great block that led to Alan Rossum's opening kickoff return for a TD against the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, Robinson threw two blocks to spring him.

In addition, Robinson is the Captain of the 49er special teams and his inspirational play and leadership are well known. Some fans complain that he is "not a real RB". Well, he came to the Niners as a quarterback and has only averaged about 2 carries per game. It is well known that a running back needs several carries to develop a rhythym and Robinson has never been afforded that opportunity. He has, however, made several impressive runs in his short stint at that position. Here are just a couple. In the first, he breaks off a 20 yard gain with a swing pass breaking five (5) tackles.

It is important to note that once Mike Singletary took over as coach last season, Robinson became a weapon receiving out of the backfield from the backup FB position, catching 17 passes for 201 yards, an 11.9 average per catch.

Robinson also took a few snaps last season from the Wildcat formation and is expected to be the man behind center if and when Jimmy Raye utilizes that formation this season. It is important to remember that the new running backs coach is Tom Rathman, who played with another #24 in the early 1980s, Harry Sydney, also a former QB who was instrumental in a playoff victor by throwing an option pass to Brent Jones. Tom has a long memory and Robinson possesses similar skills to Sydney.

Because he is such an excellent receiver, blocker, runner and passer, as well as the best special teams performer, his versatility is important not only to Mike Singletary but to the front office as well. He is under contract, long-term and his versatility will allow 49er management to get creative if necessary. Let's say the team decides to keep all four (4) QBs or 6 WRs. This is where Robinson's value comes through. He can be carried as both the #3 RB and #2 FB, thereby enabling the 49ers to fill five (5) roster spots with only four (4) players. They can then retain a Nate Davis or an Arnaz Battle thanks to Robinson.

Clayton offers no such options. He will be gone after the preseason.

Gary Mialocq
The SF 49er Observer

Copyright @ 2009
All Rights Reserved

Defense Saves First Super Bowl Victory

Dwight Clark's incredible catch of a Joe Montana pass in the NFC Championship game against Dallas eventually led to a Super Bowl matchup in Pontiac, Michigan agaist the Cincinnati Bengal. Dan Bunz and the 49ers defense made an incredible goal line stand to propel them to victory in Super Bowl XVI! Watch the defense step up and seal the deal for the first of five 49er Super Bowl victories.

Memorable Moments: Steve Young's Great Escape

In a 1988 game against the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick Park, the 49ers were in trouble. Quarterback Steve Young faded back to pass under heavy pressure and the rest is history. Enjoy Lon Simmons' description of this run which will go down as one of the greatest in team history. Enjoy the excitement.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

How it All Started

The Early Years -- The All-American Football Conference (AAFC)

When World War II ended in 1945, the Bay Area was booming. Thousands of veterans were returning and opportunity was in the air. The vegetable gardens south of the city were bought up by Henry Doelger, whose thousands of side-by-side homes at Westlake Village inspired Malvina Reynolds to later write Pete Seeger's song, "Little Boxes."

People were hungry for football as many of the local colleges had disbanded their football programs during the war. The All-American Football Conference was formed the next year, 1946, with eight teams. They wisely placed teams in or near cities where the NFL already had teams to give them competition. The AAFC consisted of the Baltimore Colts, Brooklyn Dodgers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Rockets, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Dons, New York Yankees, and San Francisco 49ers.

49ers fans affectionately regard Bill Walsh as the king of coaches. Well, fans, we had a guy in 1946 who had silver hair like Bill. In fact, his nickname was the Silver Fox. He was a brilliant coach who featured some of the most explosive offenses in football history. His name was Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw. Like Walsh, he came to the Niners after a very successful career as a college coach at Santa Clara. Buck spent six years there and amassed a 47-10-4 record that included two Sugar Bowl victories for the Broncos. The fact that they had disbanded their football program during the war made Buck available to the Niners.

1946: In their inaugural season, Buck led the Niners to a 9-5 record, with Frankie Albert running the T-formation and passing to Alyn Beals, a great wide receiver who made All-Pro all four years the team played in the AAFC.

1946 Niners in Golden Gate Park

1947: The following season the Niners were also successful, posting an 8-4-2 record. Cleveland won the title for the second consecutive season and fielded a team that featured Otto Graham and Marion Motley. This was the year I attended my first 49er game against the New York Yankees on Sept. 21, 1947. Unfortunately, we lost 21-16 as you can see I wrote on the top of my 25-cent program:

Needing to improve in 1948 in order to compete with Cleveland, Buck brought in Joe Perry and Veryl Lillywhite to complement his running back tandem of All-Pro Johnny Strzykalski, and the tough running Len Eshmont. It worked. Lillywhite ran for a 59-yard TD in his first carry from scrimmage.

1948 - A Season to Remember

The Niners started out the season at 10-0, destroying most of their opponents. In those ten games, the 49ers outscored their opponents by 376 to 142. The Niners averaged 37.6 points per game, scoring over 40 twice and over 50 once. They allowed 14.2 points per game.

The only problem: Cleveland also started out 10-0. In Week 11, the Niners faced the Browns in Cleveland. In a close and hard-fought game, the Niners made a couple of critical mistakes that resulted in a 14-7 loss. Beals dropped a wide open TD pass, and a fumble at the one-yard-line ended our chances.

The Niners took it out on the Brooklyn Dodgers the next week on the road to the tune of 63-14, and returned home to face Cleveland again, this time in the friendly confines of Kezar. The game was sold out two weeks in advance and the Bay Area was bristling with excitement in anticipation of the upcoming battle between the two top teams in the AAFC. I attended that game at the age of six. In one of the greatest games ever played in Kezar, the Browns squeaked out a 31-28 win. They won the next week to finish the season undefeated, then defeated the Yankees in the championship game to become the only team besides the Miami Dolphins to play an entire season undefeated.

1949: The Niners continued to be an outstanding team, finishing the season at 9-3. They swamped the Yankees in the playoff game and lost to the Browns and Otto Graham again in the Championship Game, 21-7.

The 49er finished their AAFC experience with a record of 39-15-2.

The next season the league merged with the NFL. Three teams from the AAFC were accepted into the senior league—the Baltimore Colts, the Niners, and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns immediately won the NFL title in their first season—1950. Since Cleveland already had a team, the Rams were relocated to Los Angeles.

Buck Shaw continued to coach the 49ers through the 1954 season. His record as a Niner coach was 72-40-4. His teams scored 3003 points and allowed just 2167 points. Buck was later hired by the Philadelphia Eagles and led them to the NFL title.

We salute the man who started it all out right. His explosive offensive teams brought excitement to fans throughout the league and helped the 49ers create an aura of excitement and explosiveness.

Gary Mialocq